Monday, May 21, 2007

26 Global warming myths

I came across an article today in New Scientist called "Climate change: A guide for the perplexed". Twenty-six common myths held by climate change deniers are explored and debunked. Here's part of the introduction:

Our planet's climate is anything but simple. All kinds of factors influence it, from massive events on the Sun to the growth of microscopic creatures in the oceans, and there are subtle interactions between many of these factors.

Yet despite all the complexities, a firm and ever-growing body of evidence points to a clear picture: the world is warming, this warming is due to human activity increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and if emissions continue unabated the warming will too, with increasingly serious consequences.

Yes, there are still big uncertainties in some predictions, but these swing both ways. For example, the response of clouds could slow the warming or speed it up.

With so much at stake, it is right that climate science is subjected to the most intense scrutiny. What does not help is for the real issues to be muddied by discredited arguments or wild theories.

Examples of the myths explored are "Human CO2 emissions are too tiny to matter" and "We can't do anything about climate change". Click through to see all twenty-six.

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